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There is one group of citizens who think the city has it right; do the fireman agree ?

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON February 4, 2012 – Most of the usual suspects were on hand for one of the public reviews of the 2012 city budget, along with city staff who were ready to explain the finer points of what looks like is going to be about 3.4% tax increase over last year`s which was less than 1%.

Citizens gathering in a public session to review a proposed city budget with Council members on hand to answer questions and staff on hand to delve into the details. They weren't doing that in Syria last Thursday night.

The public event, held at the Burlington Art Centre drew about 30 citizens who went through the workbook the city had provided. The evening started with an overview from Acting Treasurer Joan Ford after which staff joined each table to go through the well laid out workbook that for those attending , raised questions to consider.

We learned an interesting little bit about the technology the city uses to get the sense of what people in a meeting think about an issue. The city has a couple of dozen little key pads that look a bit like a remote but are quite a bit smaller. A question will pop up on a screen and people in the room key in the number that fits their answer to the question – less than two seconds later the results appear on a screen.

General Manager Budgets and Corporate Services, Kim Phillips brought the tool to the meeting – it was kind of neat to see what people in the room thought about a specific issue – you had the answer in seconds. This sort of thing could and perhaps should be used at larger meetings – say the Heritage Workshops where views are usually very mixed it would help to see what people were thinking. It was very “real time” and useful.

Here we are at the nitty gritty stage. Citizens have talked through their concerns and the politicians now join them for a more focused conversation. This table had executive level firemen taking part. They want the new station fully manned and they'd like to see funds set aside for the upgrading of the station on Plains Road as well. Lots of firemen on the province's Sunshine list as well. That's the list of those who get paid more than $100,000 annually.

Once a group has gone through the workbook the situation shifts and the politicians who were in the room join the table to discuss the major concern each group had. This particular public session saw a group from the fire department taking part – we’ve not seen specific stakeholder groups appear at these sessions in the past. The fire department has clearly decided that they need to make their point in quieter community based sessions.

It was interesting to watch Councillors Mead Ward and Craven along with the Mayor join the table and hear what the group had to say.

The evening ended with each table giving the audience a sense of their take on the budget. At this session the sense was that the city was on the right track ad that spending was seen as appropriate. One person thought some of the information given could have been put in a better context and made part of a large picture – good point.

While the workbook is some 20 pages, it covers the points city staff wanted to hear discussed and while there was no sense that anything was being hidden, public input on the questions that were asked, might have been helpful.

Time for these public sessions is limited so the city set out two service choices and asked participants to respond. They were told that the city planned on spending $80.71 on fire protection; $75.74 on capital spending, $66.53 on Roads and Parks Maintenance; $39.42 on Local Boards and committees (Library, Performing Arts Centre, the Economic Development Corporation; $32.92 on Parks and Recreation services and $28.60 on transit services.

The figures given are for every $100,000 of urban residential assessment – so if your house is assessed at $300,000 then you would multiply the number given by three.

The graph shows what tax rates have been historically. The city portion of the total tax bill has not always been in sync with what the Region and Schools Board ask for. Wide swings during the Jackson administration.

The participants were asked if they would maintain the amount budgeted for 2012; if they would enhance the amount (increase) or reduce the amount budgeted. Staff were on hand to delve into some of the detail in each of the spending categories. What would you have done with each of those categories? If you want to share your view, General Manager Kim Phillips would love to hear from you – she can be reached by email at phillipsk@Burlington.ca

A closer look at the proposed 2012 city budget called for some thinking and some animated discussion at the Burlington Art Centre session last week.

The participants were asked if they would support or not support reducing the frequency of mowing the grass under the Hydro rights of way from five times a year to four times and save $6000.00 . Or if they would support or not support reducing the school crossing guard coverage during lunch hours at under utilized crossings? I suspect the parents located near those crossings would like some say on this one – the specific crossings weren’t set out in the workbook – but if you`re concerned – ask your ward councillor.

There are 15 hanging baskets on Lakeshore Road between Maple and Locust – are they worth the $4000.00 the city spends to put them up and maintain them every year? Tell your Council member if you don`t think that is money well spent.

Running a city is a complex business and keeping everyone happy is no simple matter. A lot of people disdain politics – but like it or not – it is the glue that keeps the place together.

The previous session held elsewhere in the community had just five people in the audience and while that is disappointing – there is a very important point being made by the city. They have, each year, gone out into the community with well-prepared material and organized the event so that everyone had an opportunity to talk and make their views known. The attendance was disappointing but people in the city know that they can make their views known – so when the budget is approved – let`s not hear a lot of carping about the public having no input. There are additional public sessions scheduled. If you’ve got a beef – there is a chance for you to get your two cents worth on the table.

Chamber of Commerce Chair Tamer Fahmi listens in and considers a possible poker game with the assistant treasurer.

The sessions are kind of fun. One table left the sense they were prepared to get a small game of poker going – heck they were talking about the city budget so why not have some fun. That the deputy city treasurer along with the President of the Chamber of Commerce was at the table shouldn’t send out any alarm signals – they both looked like quarter a hand players to me.

Small, community based information sessions are just part of the public process. The budget, both the Capital budget, which is a longer term document and the Current budget – which sets out what is going to be spent in the current year, get discussed at length during the Budget and Corporate Services committee meetings, where any citizen can delegate and be given ten minutes to make their point. If you’re really hot and bothered about an issue – you can delegate at the Council meeting, where the budget is made official. You`re expected to have new information if you delegate at Committee and delegate again at Council – and you get just five minutes at a Council meeting.

If you’ve nothing new to say at a Council meeting you get met by stone cold silence from the seven members of city council, who thank you for your delegation and dismiss you – it can be a humbling experience, and it happens more often than it should. So if you chooses to delegate – be well prepared with facts and figures.

City council had asked staff to prepare a budget with a tax increase that ranged between 2% and 3.5% – they’ve produced a document that came in at 3.4%. Council at the Committee stage can and should squeeze this back to 2% and ensure that the needed funds for the road maintenance is in place.

The breakdown of what the city plans to commit itself to for the re-development of the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital - when and if it ever gets re-built. The city is looking at a number of ways to collect these amounts. A straight tax levy every year or possibly a longer term funding that would spread the cost over several generations.

There was a very interesting and innovative proposal put forward by Councillor Taylor for a debenture offering that citizens could subscribe to as a way to raise the funds needed to pay for any re-development that gets done on the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital. The proposal would have given citizens a risk free investment opportunity and also have spread out the re-development costs over a longer time frame. If there is ever a re-developed hospital in Burlington –and it is far from certain that there ever will be one – the cost can and should be spread out over several generations. Giving people a better financial return than a savings account wouldn’t hurt either.

Mayor gives the business community his take on our economic health. “We are in good shape”. Really?

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON January 26, 2012 He managed to get through a 25 minute speech without once saying a word about The Pier, but did tell the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, State of the City audience that the city is in good shape.

Mayor Rick Goldring chose to point to the opportunities and left his audience with the impression that the challenges we have are all manageable without detailing just what those challenges are. The deficit the city faces with its infrastructure; the very real political problems he faces with the re-development of the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, where he has to front $60 million of the $300 million cost and hope that he can survive the damage when the province doesn’t come through with their portion of the funding in 2014 – which is an election year for the Mayor. Goldring opened the kimono just a little when he said: “…we didn’t anticipate the timing of the announcement or the fact that the city taxpayers along with donours have to front end $60 million each over the next six years.” Mr. Mayor, if the provincial government does it to you once – you just know they are going to at least try to do it to you again, so don’t bend over.

Old Lakeshore precinct continues to be "the jewel" that has yet to find a crown.

No mention was made of the opportunity to play a leading role in the development of the Mainway Beach west of Spencer Smith Park, that has been languishing for more than a decade. That opportunity, to do some significant and very innovative development in that part of the city, looks as if it is going to get away from us and be in the hands of the Conservation Authority, because Burlington hasn’t come forward with any solid plans or initiatives. The Waterfront Advisory Committee has let the city down terribly on this one. It had the opportunity to develop and present some creative ideas that would offer some solutions to make much more out of the western beach and the Old Lakeshore precinct. The Mayor can’t do it all.

While things appear to be under control with the plans the province had to ram a road right through Lowville, the fact is that the Minister who told the Mayor that the road would not be built is no longer the Minister responsible for transportation. Saying “we are committed to keep our 50/50 rural urban split, meaning that all new development must occur south of the Dundas-407 corridor” is one thing. Putting a stake through the heart of the idea of an Escarpment highway is another matter. The Mayor is going to have to rely on rookie MP Jane McKenna to ensure that we don’t get horn swoggled by the province should they try to argue that Burlington is going to have to take it on the chin for the greater good of the province and all those jobs that will result in trucks being able to roar across the Escarpment with products bound for the U S of A.

Thordon Bearings, a Burlington based technology company with a bullet proof vest made out of patents and trade secrets. Burlington could use a few more of these.

The American economy is in such poor shape that Burlington would be better selling products to China and India. We would be even better off if we could create intellectual property industries and sell ideas and technology to South America and some of the developing countries. Thordon Bearings and EcoSynthetix are great examples of what we are capable of – and at that level Mayor Goldring was dead on when he talked about the opportunities for on-going executive education at the McMaster DeGroote School on the South Service Road. The disappointing point the Mayor made was that less than 4% of the McMaster business students who do a co-op program – there were in excess of 140 of them in 2011 – worked with Burlington based companies. This city is letting top notch talent work on co-op programs with companies outside of the city – probably our competitors. We should be and could be providing at least 20% of those students with co-op opportunities. Not because we want to give them work experience but because we want to be able to pick their brains and use their developing skills and energy. They just might find a future vice president as well.

Burlington has been on the cusp of breaking through an economic barrier for a number of years but the city doesn’t have any class A office space. Hopes have reigned supreme for more than a decade for the development of some first class office space. Goldring told his audience there are three major development applications approved several years ago – but there are no shovels in the ground yet. Can he use a cattle prod to get something moving on this? Someone is going to have to get very creative and put together a development in the downtown core that involves the federal and provincial governments who will take some space in a new building to ensure it is economically feasible for the first five years. You know the phrase – if you build a better mousetrap they will come – but you have to put some cheese in that mousetrap. We seem to have forgotten that.

Is Brant street going to see some class A office space or will it always be retail that is consistently challenged to be viable?

An appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board for a change to the Official Plan that would allow for more height on property at Brant and James Street favoured the developer who can now put up seven floors as of right and can ask for an additional three floors. The understanding within the Planning department is that the developer will make it a mixed use building with retail on the ground floor and both residential and commercial above that. The developer used the same model for another development five or six blocks north on Brant and one block east where a 17 story building, a parking garage and a smaller structure that hopes to attract medical practitioners.

The city’s heritage problems didn’t get as much as a mention but the Performing Arts Centre got the favourable comments it has gotten since the day it opened. However, no one is saying anything about what the revenue and expense number for the BPAC look like.

The Mayor did announce one very interesting program that is just being launched. InnovateBurlington is an intern program that was put together by an advisory committee that saw the need for an innovative, entrepreneurial community of graduate students who could gain some meaningful work experience during which they would develop strategic projects for local corporations. Burlington needs a little more ginger in its commercial diet.

Innovate Burlington is a partnership between the BEDC, the city, the Chamber of Commerce, The Centre for Skills Development and Training and McMaster University. These were the founding forces that took part of Rick Goldring’s election platform and grew it to the point where it was ready to be made operational and given to the BEDC to operate at least during the early stages.

Serious problems with retaining the really significant heritage homes in the city weren’t addressed. We can’t be a world class city if we ignore and demolish the important heritage homes. A city that forgets its roots will, like a tree, eventually topple over. Freeman Station is still out there waiting to be saved.

Mayor Goldring tells Chamber of Commerce audience that he is just taking care of business.

Mayor Goldring is developing as a speaker. For some reason he came across as a little rushed this morning – sounded as if he needed to get all the words out before people left the room to get to their offices. Public speaking can, and should be, entertaining. It has a pace of its own and hopefully over time Goldring will develop a style that is a little less rushed. As for content and style it had a line that will certainly get picked up by others and I think you can expect to see it in his campaign literature. He said the 21^st century is going to be about the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn. He can put that on a T shirt and win an election on it. And make no mistake about it – short of a calamity, Goldring is a two term Mayor and maybe even three. Based on what we have seen so far from this man – we should be so lucky.

Whenever you talk to someone who has lived in Burlington for more than ten years you will hear again and again how great a city this is to live in. It does have great geography going for it – but it doesn’t have much in the way of buzz going for it.

We talk about the high tech, high paying jobs we want to attract. The people who do the innovative thinking at work need a city that is innovative, fresh, growing with at least some excitement in it. Goldring clearly underlined that point when he said: “the state of a city is an attitude, a feeling, a level of confidence about how things are going”. We are confident – are we complacent as well?

State of the City; Goldring addresses business community advises “we are in good shape.

By Mayor Rick Goldring

BURLINGTON, ON January 25, 2012

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all very much for coming this morning to the State of the City Address.

Last year there was record attendance for this event, and I am pleased and a little surprised that there is approximately the same number of people here this year as last. I thought the honeymoon would be over and the attendance would be less. Maybe the honeymoon is over and that is why you are all here.

Thank you to the sponsors for your contribution to this event. Scotia Bank, Bell, the Certified Management Accountants Association along with the Burlington Youth Soccer Club – you are all great contributors to our community. I have great affinity for the BYSC as all 3 of my daughters played soccer at all levels in the club and 2 continue to play soccer as young adults.

I also want to thank TV Cogeco for being here this morning, providing many who cannot be here, the opportunity to see this event at a future date on TV Cogeco.

I also wish to thank the Burlington Chamber of Commerce for not only hosting the State of the City Address, but also for the efforts you expend in the areas of advocacy as well as providing educational and networking opportunities for your members. The net impact of your efforts is a significant contribution to prosperity for our city.

Before I go any further I want to introduce my colleagues from Burlington City Council: Councillors Marianne Meed Ward, John Taylor, Jack Dennison, Paul Sharman and Blair Lancaster. Councillor Rick Craven is away on a well earned vacation in the Caribbean.

I also would like to introduce the Senior Executive Team with the City:

Kim Phillips – Acting City Manager – General Manager of Corporate Services;

Scott Stewart – General Manager of Community Services – who also served as Acting City Manager while Council was in the recruitment process; and

Steve Zorbas – Acting General Manager of Development and Infrastructure.

Kim only has two more days in the Acting City Manager Role.

I want to publicly thank both Kim and Scott for the time that each of you served as acting city manager. You both did a superb job – we were in good hands.

At this point, I would like to introduce our new City Manager – Jeff Fielding – who is with us this morning, even though he does not start until Monday.

Jeff was the City Manager in London for almost 8 years and prior to that, was the City Manager in Kitchener. Jeff brings with him not only great experience as a municipal leader, but also an incredible amount of enthusiasm.

Jeff, welcome to Burlington. We are all looking forward to working with you.

There are a number of additional members of our senior management team and staff who are also here this morning. We are extremely fortunate to have a fine team of public servants serving the needs of our community.

Goldring says being Mayor "has been everything I had hoped for, and at times more, and some times much more!"

This morning is my second opportunity to address the Chamber and the public through the press, and TV Cogeco and talk about our city. I have had the privilege of being the Mayor for just over one year now, and I must say that the opportunity has been everything I had hoped for, and at times more, and some times, much more!

The State of the City address can be a series of statistics and facts to prove we have done our job. However to me the state of the city is an attitude, a feeling, a level of confidence about how things are going. That is the foundation that allows us to focus on the hopes and dreams for the whole city.

This past year, I had the opportunity to speak to many residents. I attended more than 300 community functions and it often seemed that I spoke to every person present. In the Mayor’s Office, we had over 150 meetings with concerned citizens, groups and staff about the matters that were important to the community. I had the occasion to speak to and engage in dialogue with many service clubs, church groups, community organizations and business groups, including 10 CFOs from local businesses in a meeting that was arranged by the Chamber.

I was in arenas, art centres, halls, parks, libraries, schools, hospitals, churches, food banks, and just about any other facility we have here in Burlington. I visited local businesses regularly and met with several prospective Burlington businesses. During the year I hosted the Mayor’s Community Roundtable and invited about 30 community groups to attend and we have had great attendance. We established a series of Open Door sessions where residents simply show up to meet me without an appointment to discuss their issues. In fact there is one this Friday morning at City Hall.

Last week I invited some prominent citizens for dinner to talk about the city’s challenges and opportunities. This group of participants represented social services, culture, development and the business sectors. For me it was an inspiring evening. The level of enthusiasm and expertise we have in our community is an asset that we need to capitalize on more.

Many citizens also engaged me in grocery stores, shopping malls, on the street while out I was out walking, at the Y during my workouts, and sometimes even when I am out of town. This past Sunday I talked to a resident at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph while attending a Guelph Storm hockey game with my daughter.

In 2011 I had the opportunity to do Ward Tours with my colleagues. We drove through neighbourhoods, walked through parks and pathways, visited developing areas, areas of concern and areas of opportunity. I am consistently impressed with the work of my colleagues on Council, with how in touch they are with the Ward’s they represent, and how hard they are working every day in little ways that few people see.

The Mayor is chief spokesman for the city; directs trafic as well.

While the Mayor is the chief spokesperson for the city and the head of council, it is not the Mayor’s role to lead on every issue. The city is fortunate to have the blend of different people on council who are all community leaders.

So how are we doing?

In my inaugural speech just over a year ago, I spoke about the importance of rebuilding TRUST; the trust between council members, council and staff, council and the public and between City Hall and the public.

Elections can and often do end up creating at the beginning an interesting dynamic for municipal councils and the staff team they lead. It takes effort on all sides to meld together, different views, experiences and approaches into a cohesive team. I am pleased to report that the organization has come a long way in a year resulting in higher levels of trust and respect that allows us to focus on the issues in front of us more effectively.

I would like to read a quote from Kent Murdoch, President and CEO of the O.C. Tanner Company:

“If your workplace culture isn’t open and honest, it won’t create satisfaction, and you will experience turnover and a lack of productivity that will cost you money, ideas and time. On the other hand, if the work environment is ethical, productive and positive, people will stay – and stay committed. They will drive your organization forward”.

The result of a high trust organization will be a much better and more trusting relationship with the people we serve.

Having a high level of trust doesn’t mean that all decisions are unanimous. We all know that this is impossible. Trust is based on transparency, openness, an explanation of decision making, honesty and respect, including respecting alternative positions. This is true in our interaction with each other, staff and the community.

As we move forward to look at what happened in 2011 and what we look forward to in 2012, I hope you come away with these thoughts from today:

I believe you should feel positive about what is happening in Burlington and how your council and city staff are working on your behalf.
All municipalities have their challenges. We don’t have to look far to see examples. Burlington is in a better position than most. We have a very good and diversified local economy, we have a great quality of life and access to amenities and services and we are in a position to address our challenges in a professional and thoughtful way.
We are addressing our issues head on. We are “living within our means” and we will continue to do so.

Highlights of 2011

2011 was an eventful year.

Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital

As we saw and heard in the video we played earlier, on August 10^th the Province of Ontario announced the go ahead on the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital re-development project. This project, with a budget of over $300 million will result in a significantly rejuvenated hospital.

We will see new operating rooms, new private rooms, a new cancer clinic and many more improvements. The progress that has been made on this project is remarkable. This redevelopment will provide the infrastructure needed to provide the healthcare that Burlington must have for this generation and the next.

The project will proceed in two Phases. The hospital will begin with an RFP process and tender in Phase 1 in 2012 and construction in 2013. Phase 2 will go through a similar process with the tender award in 2014.

We have members of the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital here this morning and I would like to acknowledge Eric Vandewall and the team.

The re-development of the hospital is not the only thing happening at Joseph Brant. As most of you know, the city and Region committed $10 million several years ago to McMaster University as part of the DeGroote School of Business at the Ron Joyce Centre on the South Service Road. This project had a second component which related to the commitment by McMaster to open a Halton McMaster Family Health Centre in the Burlington downtown area.

I would like to welcome here today Dr. David Price, Chair of McMaster Family Medicine and Dr. John Kelton, Dean and VP of Health Science. I am pleased to tell you today that McMaster has selected the Joseph Brant site as the preferred site for the Halton McMaster Family Health Centre. McMaster anticipates taking ownership of two floors and about 15,000 square feet at Joseph Brant as part of the Phase 1 project. All parties hope to be operational at Joseph Brant by the end of 2013.

We anticipate that a site plan application for Phase 1 will be submitted to our planning department in May this year. Through public consultation this will allow the public to more fully see and understand the plans at Joseph Brant.

Performing Arts Centre

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre opened this fall on time and on budget. This facility is absolutely magnificent. It is and will remain a centerpiece of our community for generations.

Burlington residents now have access to performances that could not previously come to our City. Our community cultural groups now have a place to perform and an environment to be inspired.

To build a city, attract creative people and have a vibrant downtown, you need the performing arts. The Prime Minister of Canada agrees, and as part of the opening week festivities Prime Minister Harper came to Burlington to celebrate with us. The Prime Minister spent most of the day here in Burlington, had an opportunity to visit one of our thriving businesses and to see Canada’s musical ambassadors The Burlington Teen Tour Band.

Education and Partnership

Our city building continued in education and partnership.

Ground was broken this fall for the new Alton High School, Library and Community Centre. This is a joint effort with the school board and public library to integrate high quality services on a more cost effective basis.

The city is also building Norton Park with soccer and football fields across the street and creating a campus to meet the community needs. This is a great example of partnership in action.

The McMaster DeGroote campus on the South Service Rd. brings a significant educational institution to Burlington "making world class executive education" available to the business community.

Life-long learning, innovation and entrepreneurship are critical to our prosperity and continued success. One of the very important institutions in our community to help us achieve this is the DeGroote School of Business. This is the home of the McMaster MBA program.

The program has expanded to 577 students for the 2011/12 academic year and continues to see an increase in International students which make up 20% of the class entering in 2011.

The program is in the top three in Canada for return on investment. 100% of the co-op students secured employment placement for the fall 2011 program. Since 2010, 17 Burlington companies have recruited co-op students. However, only about 4% of these co-op students are finding permanent employment opportunities in Burlington.

McMaster representatives are here today and I encourage local businesses to look into these opportunities. This is a win/win situation and if we can attract and keep leading graduates in our local economy, we will all benefit.

McMaster’s presence in Burlington also makes world class executive education available. Since 2010, 840 executives have participated in programs. Former Dean, and our good friend Paul Bates, leads this initiative. This is an opportunity for the community which we hope you consider.

I believe that innovation, entrepreneurship and keeping our young graduates in our local economy, is vital to our future.

To help achieve this, I am pleased to announce today that through partnership with the BEDC, McMaster, the Chamber of Commerce, and The Centre for Skills and Development Training, we are launching Innovate Burlington.

Innovate Burlington is a first step towards building a sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship program in Burlington.

Innovate Burlington will provide recent graduates the opportunity to work as interns, in Burlington, on meaningful projects to help local companies. We see this as a win for graduates and a win for you, our local businesses, who will have access to a tremendous talent pool. You may well find your future leaders through this program.

I hope you will seriously look at this opportunity for your organization. I would also like to introduce to you one company that already has. Here today are Ryan Djordjevic and Tim Sluy from Global Mobility Products.

There will be a formal launch for this program on February 16. I would like to thank Kyle Benham, the Executive Director of BEDC and Anita Cassidy, our Program Coordinator, for their efforts in getting this program off the ground. I would like to express my personal thanks to the Advisory Team that has contributed to this effort.

Strategic Plan

A new Strategic Plan was developed in 2011. The Strategic Plan focuses on three key areas: Vibrant Neighbourhoods, Prosperity, and Excellence in Government.

This plan was developed with unprecedented public input. It is a much more focused document than previous plans. For example, we reduced the number of initiatives from 107 to about 42 for the term. We have created a plan which is meaningful, focused, and attainable.

Niagara to GTA Highway

In October 2010, the province attempted to amend the Region’s Official Plan maps with a change that identified a corridor for a new highway right through the middle of rural Burlington. Council is committed to protecting this natural heritage for generations to come.

Escarpment map with an arrow showing a new road was a surprise to many. The corridor proposal was removed but still lurks out there.

Through a tremendous effort by Councillors Taylor and Lancaster and the Stop the Highway coalition this corridor proposal was removed from the Official Plan maps and Minister Wynne announced in July that there would be no highway.

I spoke to Minister Ted McMeekin about this issue again last week. I am assured that the province is looking at all multi-modal options, including rail, road widening and public transit to address our long term transportation needs.

There are still challenges associated with this issue and we continue to fight to protect the rural heritage. We need 21st century solutions to our transportation challenges.

In addition to these major milestones in our community, there were many others were noting:

Burlington Transit ridership increased by 7.0% in 2011.
In 2011, construction value increased meaningfully. Residential construction value grew by 23% and Industrial/Commercial development grew by 30%. That translates to a total of $451 million in construction this past year. We hope to see job numbers reflect this investment in 2012.
Some high profile retailers selected Burlington as a location of choice. Sail, an outdoor retailer selected Burlington in October and should be open later this year. And of course the Apple Store opened prior to Christmas at Mapleview Mall.
In August, EcoSynthetix completed a successful IPO, raising just over $100 million. Congratulations to John van Leeuwen and his team. Prime Minister Harper was also impressed and visited EcoSythetix on December 2.

So where are we going in 2012?

In 2012 and beyond there are a number of challenges and opportunities to address.

Community Engagement

Our new Public Involvement Coordinator, Christine Iamonaco is in the process of creating an Engagement Charter – a document that helps define the relationship between citizens and the city, whether it be staff or council. We need to demystify and enhance our processes to create an environment where our citizens can provide appropriate and timely input on the many initiatives and decisions that council is responsible for.

Official Plan Review

This year we will commence an Official Plan review. This is an exercise mandated by the province that must be done every 5 years.

An official plan is a statutory document which sets out the land use policy directions for long-term growth and development in a municipality.

I believe that this official plan review is the most important in Burlington’s history for a number of reasons.

We have the lowest projected growth rate of any municipality in the GTA for the next 20 years.
We are committed to keep our 50/50 rural urban split, meaning that all new development must occur south of the Dundas-407 corridor.
After the Alton Community is complete, we have very little room left for “greenfield” development.
Up to 80% of future residential development will be intensification, redevelopment and infill.
We need to maintain an appropriate amount of employment lands for new business and new jobs to 2031.

Council will be having a workshop on the Official Plan shortly and just as the Strategic Plan had an unprecedented level of public input, we will also have a very thorough public process for the Official Plan review.

Neighbourhood Development

We continued to develop and protect our neighbourhoods in 2011 and will continue to do so in 2012 and beyond. Over 80% of our neighbourhoods will see little change, while certain areas of the city will see further intensification.

Aldershot

A great example of this is Aldershot and the Plains Road Corridor.

Plains Road; an old suburban highway transitions into a vibrant urban main street.

Plains Road is in the process of transitioning from an old suburban highway to a vibrant urban main street. My compliments to Councillor Rick Craven, along with the Aldershot BIA and the Plains Road Village Vision, who have lead many of the positive changes we have seen along Plains Road.

A fundamental factor that is influencing the Village Vision is that Aldershot has insufficient population to attract new businesses.

The newer residential and commercial buildings have more cohesive design features that result in a more vibrant and attractive area of the city. There are many examples of this and the most recent is the brand new Aldershot Library.

The new 403 interchange, a new Kings Road Underpass (that will be completed this fall) along with the work of the Aldershot BIA and city staff, have all contributed to the tremendous level of interest and activity with regard to new development along Plains Road.

Downtown

Under the Province of Ontario’s Places to Grow plan, our downtown is designated as an urban growth centre. It is expected, in fact it is mandated, that our downtown should add more residents and more jobs. We have seen some progress on this but progress has slowed.

There are 3 major development applications that were approved several years ago; however the shovels are not in the ground yet. When complete, these projects will add over 650 residents and over 500 jobs.

We need more of this. In the spring, council will be participating in a workshop discussing the potential for the parking lots located to the west of Village Square and east of Brant Street, south of City Hall. We see these lots as development opportunities that have the potential to add more jobs and residents without taking away parking spaces.

Downtown parking lots on John and Brant street offer significant development opportunities.

The success of a downtown is one of the major keys to a prosperous city. Development needs to continue in the downtown in order for our city to thrive.

I should mention that Councillor Meed Ward is taking me on a Ward Tour on Monday which will allow us to look at all of the opportunities we have in the downtown.

Economic Reality

The economic climate has changed significantly over the last 5 years. The issues in the US and Europe have cast a negative pall over many in the world. Canada is fortunate, on a relative basis, but we cannot be too smug as we are still vulnerable.

The world is transitioning from an Industrial Age to an Information and Communication Technology Age, resulting in many traditional manufacturing jobs being eliminated or moved to countries in the developing world, like China and India.

We need to leverage our investment in McMaster to help foster innovation, job creation and life-long learning in Burlington. I believe a culture of life-long learning is critical to prosperity.

“In the 21^st century literacy will not be about reading and writing but will be the about the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn.”

The days of having only one job with one organization are over and the ability to be resilient and flexible in adapting to changing circumstances has never been as important.

Governments at all levels have to deal with issues differently. Yesterday’s approaches to the challenges of today and tomorrow will not work. We need to be creative, innovative and use ingenuity to address our future.

I am pleased to say that our staff has responded appropriately to these challenges in a very positive manner.

Burlington has to "front end" $60 million of the $300 million Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital redevelopment.

Last year, we had a City of Burlington tax increase of .9%. Obviously good news, but it is not sustainable to continue on at that level. The regular operations of the city require an annual increase to reflect increasing costs. On top of this, we have infrastructure challenges that all municipalities have. As much as the hospital announcement was great news for Burlington, we did not anticipate the timing of the announcement or the fact that the city taxpayers, along with donors, have to front-end $60 million each over the next 6 years.

I am confident we can deal with our financial challenges carefully and judiciously resulting in responsible tax rate increases and “living within our means.”

So what do I hope you take away from today?

I hope you feel positive. Our City is in very good shape and we are committed to keeping Burlington as a thriving prosperous inclusive community through strong fiscal management, innovation and partnerships and cooperation.
We all have challenges. Our City is changing. I propose to embrace this change.

We have a meaningful Strategic Plan in place and you will see a more focused Council and a Council and Staff that better understands our priorities.
We will continue to improve in how we work with the community as we work through the change that is taking place.
Your City is focused on improving customer service, productivity through technology and decision making through engagement and measurement.

We will “live within our means.”

In closing, I would like to thank the Chamber for hosting this event.

I want to thank council and staff of the city for all their hard work.

I also want to recognize the efforts of our faith communities, services clubs, social agencies, sports groups, and arts and cultural organizations, for the major contribution they are to a city where people, nature and business thrive.

It is an honour and privilege to serve as your Mayor.

I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with you to make this city the best it can be.

In my inauguration speech I closed with the African Proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

Ladies and gentlemen, we are in this together and together we will continue to build a wonderful City.

Thank You.

January 26, 2012

Burlington Convention Centre

The Burlington Chamber of Commerce has been hosting the Mayor’s Annual State of the City Address for thirty years. With advocacy being a key objective of the Chamber, hosting the Mayor’s Address gives Burlington business people an excellent opportunity to gain a greater understanding of local politics and how issues being dealt with by the mayor and council can affect them and their business. Often viewed as the mayor’s most important speech of the year, the address outlines the city’s challenges, opportunities and priorities for the upcoming year. Recently, the mayor has made use of technology by conducting real-time polls during the event to gauge the thoughts and priorities of those in attendance. This gives the audience a way to directly interact with the mayor during the event. The Mayor’s Address is one of the premier events hosted by the Chamber which hosts 80 events each year.

An exceptional service for Halton Region employers; one-to-one service for those looking for work.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON January 25, 2012 Halton Region residents looking for work or employers looking to fill positions now have access to a “personalized” service. It is a significant time saver for employers.

The service for employers includes personalized services such as: screening and matching services to help employers select the best qualified candidate; reference checking and education verification service; training incentive programs to off-set the cost of training and hourly wages; access to the Haltonjobs.ca job board; the Employment Halton LinkedIn group where employers can network together regarding hiring needs and access to annual job fairs. All the services are free.

If you are looking for a job the Region has an accessible employment resource centre complete with one-on-one support to help people searching for a job, help explore career options, and access programs and funding for apprenticeship and career development programs. The only thing they don’t do is send a cab to pick you up. All services are free.

Funding for the Employment Halton office has been provided by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

In 2011, there were 8000 visits to the Employment Halton office and over 190 employers in Halton received services from Employment Halton staff. The service exceeded Ministry targets for the number of clients and employers served and the number of clients that obtained jobs. Anyone who is searching for a job or interested in training for a new career can visit the Employment Halton office in Bronte Village Mall (2441 Lakeshore Road West – Bronte Village Mall) in Oakville

Job creation is a top priority for every level of government and they don’t want to leave very much to chance. “The government believes people are our best resource the province has and programs like these help them to continue to contribute,” said Glen Murray, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.

To learn more about Employment Halton visit our office in Bronte Village Mall, call us by dialing 311 or 905-825-6000, toll free: 1-866-442-5866, TTY 905-827-9833 or visit www.halton.ca/employmenthalton or www.haltonjobs.ca.

While things aren’t great; business is being done in the Region – not for profits getting a leg up as well.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON December 19, 2011 – The Halton Region Community Investment Fund wants to hear from the not for profit community on how to revise the fund to best meet the needs of non-profit programs and the residents they serve. The consultations will also explore other strategies to help agencies respond to community needs.

If you are involved with a non-profit organization or community group that provides community health and social service programs in Halton, Halton Region would like your input on Halton Region’s Community Investment Fund.

The HRCIF funds non-profit programs that address key community health and social service needs in Halton. In January 2012, the Region will be holding consultations throughout Halton to determine “We value the important work being done in Halton by the non-profit sector and have committed resources in the Citizens’ Priorities – Halton Region’s 2011-2014 Action Plan to support those efforts,” said Regional Chair Gary Carr. “I encourage individuals who work or volunteer in the non-profit sector to be a part of the conversation about the future of the Halton Region Community Investment Fund.”

Community consultations about the investment fund have been scheduled as follows:

Burlington – January 19, 2012, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., De Groote School of Business (Ron Joyce Centre, 4350 South Service Road)

MASS LBP, a Canadian advisory firm that specializes in community engagement, is coordinating and facilitating the consultation sessions. To register for a community consultation in your community contact Mass LBP at 1-888-377-2739 or register online at www.halton.ca/investmentfund.

While the non-profit sector is important, the health of the private sector is vital to the community and Halton has done reasonably well. Construction, which is the industry the Region follows closest, looked like this:

New houses in the Alton community on the North side of Dundas added to the construction industry numbers for the 3Q of 2011.

Construction industry:

Halton’s total value of new construction and expansions declined during the 3rd quarter of 2011 from the same period in 2010, falling 23% to just over $381 million. The decreases in construction values was seen across the industrial, institutional and residential categories, whereas the commercial category saw an increase from the same period in 2010. The major non-residential project that got underway during the 3rd quarter was Phase 1 of the Joshua Creek Corporate Centre in Oakville, where permits were issued for three office buildings totaling 120,000 sq.ft. and a combined construction value of over $14.5 million. There were no notable industrial permits issued during the quarter.

Overall, there were 1,734 building permits issued in Halton during the 3rd quarter, which represents an 18% decline from the same period in 2010. Residential permits accounted for 58% of all building permits issued and 14% were Industrial, Commercial or Institutional (ICI) permits.

Halton’s industrial vacancy rates during the 3rd quarter of 2011 dropped 5.8%, while vacancy rates in the office market rose slightly to 14.2%. At the same time, there was negative absorption in both Halton’s industrial market (-86,506 sq.ft.) and office market (-15,910 sq.ft.). This contributed to slight declines in both industrial and office net rental rates in Burlington and Oakville, while industrial rates in Milton rose marginally.

Economic Conditions

Ontario’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined 0.3% in the 2nd quarter of 2011, following seven consecutive quarterly gains. Production by goods-producing industries fell 1.0%, while services-production industries edged down 0.2%. Production declined in the manufacturing, finance and retail trade sectors, while utilities and construction posted the highest gains. Meanwhile, business investment on plant and machinery continued to trend upward, rising 4.9% during the 2nd quarter.

Employment in Ontario was also up over 12,000 in September 2011. Over the past 12 months, employment in the province increased over 135,000 (+2.0%), the majority of which was full-time work. The provincial unemployment rate climbed 0.1 percentage points in September to 7.6%.

Federal government Stimulus Funding, announced by signs like this wherever the governmenet spent any money, made a significant contribution to the Regional economy. Is a second wave of Stimulus funding needed or can we just weather out the coming economic uncertainty?

Halton’s economic conditions weakened during the 3rd quarter of 2011 from the same period last year, halting the substantial market rebounds observed throughout the post-recessionary period of 2009 and 2010. Construction activity in Halton fell by 23%. The industrial sector posted the highest losses, with a decrease of 81% over 2010. Institutional investments also deceased (-39%) as federal and provincial infrastructure stimulus funding wound down.

In the residential sector, development activity dropped 12%, however, Halton’s resale housing market remained strong with a reported 23% increase in sales listings and 41% decrease in the number of days listings were staying on the market longer on average. Housing prices rose 12% over the same period in 2010, reaching just over $515,000 on average.

The labour market in Halton also weakened slightly during the 3rd quarter with the region’s unemployment rate rising to 6.6% from 5.0% during the same period in 2010. However, this was an improvement on the 7.2% unemployment rate recorded in the 2nd quarter of 2011. The number of residents participating in the labour force decreased from a rate of 77.0% in 2010 to 74.9% in 2011.

Entrepreneurship isn’t just young legs with venture capital money; it’s a set of solid values and a strong work ethic.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON December 16, 2011 – Reginald Pollard, Chairman of Pollard Windows and Doors, located on King Road has been named the 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Burlington Economic Development Corporation. The Award luncheon is to take place June 7, 2012 at the Burlington Convention Centre.

Pollard, whose Dad created the company after the second World War when the family immigrated to Canada, might not fit the image of an entrepreneur but let there be no doubt that it is men like Reg Pollard who create jobs, wealth and a healthier community when they put their money and their talents on the line.

Reg Pollard spends quite a bit of his time in the Boardroom - but he can get out on the plant floor whenever he's needed and help solve problems. He is Burlington's 2012 Entrepreuner of the Year.

Pollard joins the ranks of Harry Voortman (Voortman Cookies), Mark Chamberlain (Trivaris), Michael Lee-Chin (AIC Ltd./Portland Holdings), Michael DeGroote Sr. (Laidlaw/Republic), Ron Joyce (Tim Hortons), Murray Hogarth (Pioneer Petroleums) and Ron Foxcroft (Fox40 International) in Burlington’s Business Hall of Fame.

Pollard Windows started out in a 20×20 foot garage that Reg and his Dad built and grew to the point where today there is a third of a million square foot plant that at peak employs just under 300 people. Today the business is profitable and doesn’t have a dime of bank debt. Reg’s son Michael is president and runs the operation.

Pollard, who will tell you that he isn’t computer literate, and if he has an email address he doesn’t know what it is – but will quickly add that he can take up a pencil and his quarter in square graph paper and do a design when it’s needed.

He is always on hand and available to give an opinion and as he tells it “let them have some of the 60 years of wisdom and experience I’ve accumulated”.

New ideas and new products have kept Pollard Windows ahead of their competitors. Their King Road display centre shown above.

Pollard Windows and Doors is a family company. Son Michael is the president, son Gary runs the American side of things and daughter Karen handles the marketing. Family for Pollard Windows however extends beyond the biological. Reg Pollard learned from his Dad that “we are equally human beings” and Reg adds that the best thing the company has going for it is the loyal staff. We have people who have been with us for more than forty years and sons of fathers that started with us are now on the payroll.

Their profit sharing program is what has kept unions out of the company. “There have been five or six attempts to unionize us but the employees prefer the way we run the company and the benefits we provide” adds Reg Pollard.

Pollard Windows has known some tough times but they have grown with the significant growth of housing in the Region and the province generally. They know who their competitors are and as Reg Pollard will tell you “we’ve never missed an opportunity to take advantage of a discount available to us”. “We are into JIT” he adds, which is the acronym for Just in Time manufacturing. “The Chinese can fill warehouses full of windows that are a lot cheaper than ours but they can’t react to the instant changes we can make in the manufacturing of our products.”

You get the sense that Reg Pollard, while proud of being named the Entrepreneur of the Year, is just a little bit prouder of being able to beat a competitor.

–

The Ho, Ho, Ho man giving you a gift; free parking for three days. Some Brant Street locations seem to have forgotten the holiday.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON December 14, 2011 They are getting ready to talk about a tax increase of 2 1/2 to 3% with the possibility of it going to more than 4% if they decide to buy all the goodies staff has put before them – but for now your city Council is going to give a bit of a break – FREE parking in the downtown core at all meters and municipal parking lots and the Waterfront Downtown Burlington parking garage on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, the 26^th and again on the 27^th of December.

Note: The Waterfront parking lots (east and west) do not provide free parking on statutory holidays. The one place that most people will want to go to – especially if the ice skating pond manages to freeze over – and, you guessed it; that one isn’t free. Now you know what they mean by looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Not much Christmas Spirit at these Brant Street locations. Photo taken December 13th - maybe they are waiting for snow. Burlington Downtown Business Association needs to work on its membership.

I suspect the downtown merchants would have liked city hall to spread that Christmas Spirit a little further and include a couple of days before Christmas Day. It’s not like downtown Burlington has a tradition of great Boxing Day Sales now is it?

City Hall itself will shut down from Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 and will re-open on Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. During this time, a number of city administrative services will not be available.

Parks and Recreation:

This service provider managed to brighten up a display window - and for the most part they don't have walk in traffic. Right Spirit here.

There are many opportunities the whole family can enjoy over the holiday season at city pools, arenas and community centres. Hours of operation and services available vary at each city facility. Call your local pool/arena for specific swim/skate times and check the Tim Horton’s Free Holiday Skate Schedule for skate times available in the Winter Wonderland events schedule.

Transit:

Burlington Transit and Handi-Van service will operate under a holiday season schedule from Dec. 25 through to Jan. 1 and will resume regular operating hours as of Monday, Jan. 2. For details, please call the automated 24-Hour BusLINE at 905-639-0550 or visit the city’s website at: www.burlington.ca/transit

Roads:

Roads and Parks Maintenance will provide basic and emergency service over the holidays. The office will be closed Dec. 24 to Jan. 1, 2012 and will resume regular service on Monday, Jan. 2, 2012

Court offices:

The Provincial Offences Court offices in Burlington and Milton (Halton Court Services) will be closed between Dec. 26 to 28 inclusive, and on Jan. 2, 2012. The Court offices will be open on Dec. 29 and 30. Please note that there will be no court hearings scheduled between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, 2012 inclusive. Justices of the Peace will not be available between Dec. 23 to Jan. 2 inclusive.

Get the creative juices flowing; take in lunch, meet colleagues you`ve not seen and get a sense of the pace of business.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON October 31, 2011 It`s business, paying the bills, trying to keep the wolves from the door and see something in the way of a profit at the end of the year. Just business? It doesn`t quite work that way. Every day a retailer, a supermarket manager, an advertising executive – even accountants and lawyers, look for ways to be more creative in the way they offer and deliver their services and work at differentiating themselves from the other guy. Those ideas just don`t fall off the back of a truck.

It is how one can go about generating the creative idea, the significantly different promotional idea – 10% off just doesn`t cut it anymore – not when you`re up against a WagJag offer of 65% off. When your competitor does something like that he`s stealing your lunch and going hungry at the same time.

So where do the new creative ideas come from? What do you do to get the creative juices flowing ? Gerry Visca is going to talk to business people at the Mayor’s Networking Luncheon Series, Connect-Collaborate-Create, put on by the Burlington Economic Development Corporation this Thursday, November 3^rd, at the Burlington Convention Centre. Visca`s presentation will focus on unleashing your creative potential. Gerry engages the audience with his 10 creative laws designed to help teams reach a new level of magnificence. An inspirational delivery on how to uncover your company’s unique ability and stand out in the marketplace.

Gerry Visca has launched more than 1000 promotional campaigns and will get your creative juices flowing.

Cultivating creativity in business uses the power of creativity and collaboration to strengthen innovation. In this presentation, Gerry masterfully combines insightful case studies featuring some of the top innovative companies and their unique approach towards driving innovation. Gerry engages the audience to push the envelope as to what is possible for them and uncover innovation within multiple levels of their organization by cultivating a creative and collaborative internal culture.

As the President of Redchair Branding, Gerry Visca is regarded internationally as Canada’s Creative Coach and creatively inspires people and ideas to action. Gerry Visca is one of the most diversified Creative Directors in Canada with over 15 years of experience:

Visca was originally trained and educated in architecture. In 1999 he moved into selling ideas and the potential an idea has to significantly change the way a company attracts, engages and interacts with its clients.. Visca has launched over 1,000 marketing campaigns and captured several international branding awards. He has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs and made several TV appearances including CBC Fortune Hunters and is also being considered as a new TV show co-host.

Every business, every business leader needs to get the creative juices refreshed. Taking in events like this are cheaper than buying a couple of books you probably won`t finish reading. Lunch and a chance to pick up some ideas and meet with colleagues you`ve not seen for awhile – $65. Tough deal to beat. Register at https://www.bedc.ca/BEDCevents/Events_Registration/MayorsNetworkingLuncheonSeries

The little piggies will not be going to the same market – Maple Leaf pulls the plug on Burlington, will Fearman’s take their space?

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON October 24, 2011 Maple Leaf Foods announced yesterday that they are going to close the Burlington distribution and refrigeration plant on Harvester Road sometime 2013, which will mean the expected loss of 87 jobs.

Maple Leaf announced at the same time a massive expansion into the Red Valley Business Park in Hamilton where more than 1,500 jobs will be created. The announcement of the Hamilton move just may be the beginning of a stretch of economic growth that Hamilton needs if it is every going to shed its steel manufacturing industrial base.

Given that Burlington has had a working relationship with Maple Leaf Foods for some time one wonders if this city was ever in the game for the expansion? We certainly have the land and the Paletta people do know how to take advantage of an opportunity.

Hamilton did have a leg up on this one with the Canada Bread operation also being set up in the Hamilton community as well. The municipal taxes on the meat processing plant will amount to $2 million annually.

The Maple Leaf announcement was brought about by that city’s Economic development department which is an in house operation. The Burlington Economic Development Corporation is an arms length organization that has council representation on it.

A 150 year old corporation that plays a significant role in the Burlington economy. Should a slughterhiuse be in this location?

There are some who feel that there is a bit of a silver lining in the announcement for Burlington and that is Fearman’s could take up the Maple Leaf Foods space which is immediately adjacent to their property on Harvester Road abutting the Applyby GO station. The question for the city is – does Burlington really want a slaughter house right in the middle of an industrial part of town and next to a GO station?

Burlington will begin reviewing its Official Plan in 2012 and that question is sure to be asked. The Strategic Plan, that city council will pass within a week, sheds no light on industry specifics, but does talk about prosperity and those elusive high tech, high paying jobs. Nothing high tech or high paying about a slaughterhouse; but without them, bacon and eggs, and a ham at Easter won’t happen.

The F.W. Fearman’s brand is over 150 years old. So, it’s not only the oldest continuously operating pork processing plant in Canada, but also the first of its kind in the country. It was established in 1852, in Hamilton, Ontario, by F.W. Fearman, a dealer in sugar-cured hams and smoked meats.

Fearman’s sits on a site immediately to the west of the Maple Leaf plant and were the object of one of the more misdirected protests the city has seen in some time. Nearly 20 Toronto Pig Save supporters picketed the Fearman plant early in October. “We’re talking about how animals are inhumanely treated,” said Patti Blersch. “I live in Burlington and one of Ontario’s largest slaughterhouses is down the street.”

Blersch wore a pink pig costume while protesters also spread their message with signs, pamphlets, a megaphone and video-audio display. They plan more protests in Burlington, said one of the animal rights group’s founders. She claims 8,000-9,000 pigs are killed each working day at Fearman’s.

Fearman’s is an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners Inc., a Boca Roton, Florida hedge fund that has recently provided significant amounts for the upgrading of plant and equipment at the Burlington location.

Obviously a major hydro user and also a company that is well funded and in a postion to grow their operation if the market demand is there.

“The Ontario pork processing business is an impressive facility with significant potential to increase production levels. We are fully committed to growing the business, bringing our investment experience in the food processing industry to bear, working closely with hog suppliers and serving the markets with top-quality products. We believe there is opportunity to further expand into international markets and build out the company’s market share for specialty and value-added products,” said Anthony Polazzi, Principal at Sun Capital Partners. “Maple Leaf Foods will continue to be an important customer as we move forward.”

“This sale will complete the transformation of our fresh pork operations to focus our growth on branded, consumer-focused prepared meats and meals business,” said Michael Vels, Chief Financial Officer of Maple Leaf Foods. “We are very pleased to have secured a buyer who will continue to operate the facility, providing ongoing employment to a highly skilled workforce, and an important market for Ontario’s hog producers.”

Sun Capital has approximately $8 billion of capital under management and often bridges the entire purchase price at closing, raising permanent debt financing afterwards.

The company targets companies with up to $5 billion or more of revenues, but many of the transactions are with businesses with sales between $50 million and $500 million. A staff of approximately 150 people and a decisive approach to business enables them to close deals within 30 days compared to three to six months for most other buyers. Appropriate acquisition and investment targets may include private businesses, divisions of larger companies, and publicly-traded companies.

Fearman’s is clearly owned by people with very deep pockets – so buying up the Maple Leaf plant is not a financial problem. A reliable source in Burlington’s financial community suspects conversations between the two are already taking place. Should that happen – the jobs lost through the Maple Leaf closing would be more than made up with a Fearman’s expansion.

Looking for work…visit the Employment Halton job fair October 19

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON October 14, 2011 Halton Region’s Employment Halton program will be hosting its annual job fair on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Burlington Convention Centre located at 1120 Burloak Drive in Burlington. The job fair is open to the public and will include many employers from across Halton. Admission is free.

“We have a variety of employers registered for this year’s fair showcasing great job opportunities that exist in Halton,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “This is an excellent opportunity. Anyone who is searching for a new job can visit the job fair to learn more about what Halton employers have to offer.”

Region holds Job Fair at Burlington Convention Centre

In 2010, over 1500 skilled and motivated job seekers networked with 49 employers from across Halton at the job fair. In addition to the opportunity to meet with employers in Halton, job seekers attending the job fair can have their résumés assessed for free.

To date the following employers have registered for the event:

• AbleLiving Services (formerly known as Participation House Hamilton Dist.)

• ABS Machining

• Aldershot Greenhouses

• The Bay

• Bayshore Home Health

• Benlan Manufacturing

• Bronte Heights Day School

• Cogeco Cable LP

• Comfort Keepers

• Denninger Foods of the World

• eMotion Picture Studios

• G4S Secure Solutions

• Halton Region

• Halton Regional Police Service

• The Home Depot

• HomeWell Senior Care

• IKEA

• Ippolito Fruit and Produce

• Kubra

• Nalco Canada Co.

• Paragon Security

• Percepta

• PurePages Inc.

• Purolator Inc.

• Stitch-it

• Sun Life Financial

• YMCA Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford

• 2Hippos.com

To learn more about the job fair or other services offered by Employment Halton visit www.halton.ca/employmenthalton or www.haltonjobs.ca. Employers interested in registering to take part in the job fair can register online at www.haltonjobs.ca.

Lakeshore Road could go dark Christmas of 2012 – Festival of Lights could be discontinued.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON October 3, 2011 A tradition that has brought literally hundreds of people down to Spencer Smith Park during the Christmas Season may not take place in 2012. The Festival of Lights, developed and done for the city by the Burlington Down Business Association (BDBA) was expected to draw traffic downtown for the merchants. It certainly drew traffic downtown but not enough of that traffic made its way up Brant Street and into the area shops and restaurants. The BDBA has decided that the event no longer delivers enough for their members for them to continue.

The city contributes $5000. to the project but that is nowhere near what it costs to mount the event which is put on by

Part of the delight of the Christmas season may not be seen in 2012. Downtown merchants can't afford the Festival of Lights.

BBDA members. They do it all“ explained Chris Glenn, Director of Parks and Recreation, who added that the city lets the association use some of the Roads and Parks Maintenance space to build the lighting exhibits that are put up.

Discussions by the BDBA on what to do with an event that was popular but didn`t deliver the needed economic benefit to the BDBA members took place in August. At last Monday`s Committee of the Whole meeting Ward 2 councillor Marianne Meed Ward brought up the situation when a report on events in the city was being discussed and advised that she was going to bring forward a staff direction that would have city hall staff look into possible resolutions to the Festival of Lights predicament. The event is not a city project and no one at Parks and Recreation appeared anxious to jump in and rescue this event.

And a Staff Direction wasn`t on either. Meed Ward`s fellow councillors could see no merit in that idea and it got voted down. The Festival of Lights takes place in Ward 2 and Meed Ward has to find a way to deliver something for her business constituents. No one jumped in with any ideas or suggestions other than Councillor Jack Dennison who said he and his family walked over to the Festival every year and enjoyed themselves. But Dennison didn`t say that he wondered up Brant Street and stayed for a meal at one of the restaurants.

And that is the problem. Spencer Park – a gem if there ever was one, is the focal point for some of the largest festivals in the province. The Rotary Rib Fest is seen by most people in the tourism business as the Grand Daddy of Rib Fests in the province. Tens of thousands attend – but they congregate in the park, spend their money there and don’t get very far north of Lakeshore Road.

The retail merchants do all the work and pay for the bulk of the costs for the annual Festicak of Lights - but it no longer delivers the economic benefits the merchants need.

The city doesn`t have any staff sitting on the BDBA committee that runs the Festival and so there wasn`t much in the way of warning to the Parks and Recreation people on the problem.

One of the concerns discussed around the council table is finding a way for a more equitable distribution of events throughout the city. All the major events take place along the lakes edge and that doesn`t do all that much for retailers sprinkled either side of Brant and up the street to about Caroline.

Meed Ward didn`t leave the Committee of the Whole meeting with very much in hand – this is a can she is going to have to carry on her own. The lights on Lakeshore Road may not go on during Christmas of 2012.

On the event side of things – the numbers are great. The city held 78 events so far in 2011 – 52 major and 26 minor events with attendance that ranged from 25 people to 190,000. Parks and Recreation estimates that 605,000 people attended events in Burlington so far this year.

Grand numbers but they have a lining that is less than silver. The Latitude restaurant in the Simms building on Elgin just off Brant has closed forever. Restaurant and retails sales have not fully recovered since the 2008 recession. People are keeping a tighter grip on their wallets and credit cards.

Burlington has yet to find a formula that will bring customers into the stores and restaurants in the downtown core and many retailers are giving it up. Store closing have basically equalled store openings so the entrepreneurs that want to give it a go are still out there.

One of the prime concerns is the tax rates that are levied on commercial property. When a property owner gets hit with a tax increase they pass it right on to the tenant. The increase in high end condominiums in the downtown core has put pressure on property evaluations which gets translated into increased taxes – and the retail community can`t handle those increases.

The city has a Downtown Task Force looking into the problems. Councillors Meed Ward and Taylor sit on that Task Force –

Brant Street looking south - needs more hustle and bustle to it.

and they do have their work cut out for them. While unemployment in the city is not rampant there is still a very soft underbelly that needs to firm up in order for the retailers to make a better go of it.

The Burlington Economic Development Corporation doesn’t appear to be in the picture when it comes to downtown core issues. Their focus is on bringing high tech, high paying jobs to the city and servicing the needs of organizations and corporations that look at Burlington as a possible head office location.

And that`s where that whole chicken and egg situation comes into play. Without a really solid, profitable, bustling downtown commercial community the city looks a little drab and doesn`t have that many places one can take a clients out for lunch. It is the corporate executive class who spend on the lunches and the dinners and because Burlington doesn`t have any Class A office space we have yet to attract much of that community.

And that brought up the question: Where does the Festival of Lights event go from here ?

The cover of the short form Strategic Plan document that is in the process of being taken to the community lists three strategic directions for the city. Vibrant neighbourhoods, Prosperity and Excellence in Government. We are falling short on the prosperity side and the Strategic Plan has yet to be approved.

Another heavy equipment theft in Burlington. Insurance rates may rise soon. Crime Stoppers could use your help.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON September 29, 2011 – The construction industry took another hit the past few days. A loader was stolen from a Longmoor Drive construction site

The equipment was valued at more than $170,000 so you know it wasn’t taken away in a wheel barrow. If you’re offered a chance to buy a 2008 John Deere Loader, Model 544J, take a pass on the offer and give Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes)

There are always equipment thefts from construction sites – the contractors need to find ways to better secure the equipment at night and on weekends and the police might make a practice of driving by known construction sites regularly but randomly as well.

Perhaps the police could provide a service that allowed contractors to call in and let police know there is equipment on a site. They could then do drive byes and keep an eye on things. The thieves will figure out the sites are being watched and look for easier picking.

We appear to be in the mudslinging phase of the provincial election.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON September 29, 2011 You know someone is running a little on the scared side when they start slinging mud. However, with every story there is often a grain of truth – and truth be told, political parties do have to fund their campaigns and when they need money it usually calls for a trip to the bank.

And banks don’t give money away – so when you need a loan and you don’t have much in the way of assets – what do you do? You have to get someone to co-sign the loan, which appears to be what the New Democrats did recently.

Nothing wrong with that. Every one of us has kids that need a helping hand and we put our “John Henry” on the line for them.

If there is a financial understanding between an organization and a political party it is usually wiser to get the story out before someone else puts it out on you with their spin and not yours.

There was a time when the federal Liberals always had a Senator who was also a Director of one of the largest banks close at hand, so that when an overdraft had to be approved all it took was a phone call.

The NDP has never formed a government and has never been able to give goodies to the banks – and so they have to look to other friends for support. Nothing wrong with that – just come clean fast.

Here’s the story the provincial Liberals have out on the

New documents reveal that Andrea Horwath misled reporters and failed to disclose the true relationship between the Ontario Cornerstone Leadership Corporation and the Ontario NDP.

Asked this morning if Cornerstone plays any financial role in the NDP campaign, Horwath said “None whatsoever. None whatsoever. It’s a separate corporation, separate board of directors, no role whatsoever in our campaign, no financial, you know, no financial connection whatsoever. It’s completely separate.” (Andrea Horwath Media Scrum, September 29, 2011)

And she continues to duck questions on the whereabouts of $100,425 of taxpayer money and another $100,000 in union funds granted to Cornerstone for accessibility.

But that’s not the whole story. Horwath was in a position to know how her party raises money.

Documents obtained by the Liberals reveal that links between Cornerstone and the NDP are far greater than previously believed. Not only are all 8 members of the Cornerstone board current or former board members of the NDP, but the corporation is actually bankrolling the NDP’s campaign.

Land registry documents show:

• Cornerstone served as collateral for a $4,350,000 loan that is currently financing Horwath’s 2011 campaign

• Cornerstone served as collateral for a $3,450,000 loan that financed the 2007 NDP campaign

And contrary to Andrea Horwath’s claim that Cornerstone “has nothing to do” with her, new documents also reveal that Andrea Horwath sat as an ONDP Vice President when the Cornerstone fundraising scheme was hatched, and served as the 2007 NDP Campaign Co-Chair. (OntarioNDP.com)

The Cornerstone campaign’s sole goal was to purchase a property that would finance NDP election campaigns:

• “The Cornerstone Campaign is a 3-year capital campaign aimed at purchasing a permanent party headquarters in order to finance future election campaigns…purchasing a building will allow the Ontario NDP to continue to qualify for election campaign loans.” (NDP Cornerstone Campaign, The Business Case, pg. 1)

It’s time Andrea Horwath told reporters and Ontarians the truth on the NDPs intricate relationship with Cornerstone. It’s time she said what the NDP did with the $100,425 they received from the federal government and provided assurances that money was not funneled to the NDP campaign. It’s time she returned the money.

When you need money for a project - and an election is a project - you pay a visit to a friendly banker, and if that banker isn't really friendly, you take a freind along who can co-sign for you. All the politicalparties do it - the Liberals want you to know how the NDP is doing it. Why?

What’s interesting about the comments the Liberal’s released about Cornerstone is that they never say what the company does, who owns it and how long it has been around. Cornerstone is a marketing company that deals primarily in the creating and marketing of lists of names. Everyone uses lists of names. When you get an offer from a credit card company mailed to you they bought your name from a broker who developed the list and kept it active. Good list brokers develop and maintain very sophisticated lists and market them. It’s all part of the way products are brought to people’s attention and sold. If you live in an apartment you don’t want an offering for a lawn mower and a good mailing list will not have apartment dwellers on lawn mower lists.

The really good list development people can put together a list that is very tightly targeted. That’s what Cornerstone does and if they have enough money in the bank and are able to help a political party obtain the loan they need – nothing wrong with that. Just be clear and up front about it. Play it straight.

Could all this “new” news from the Liberals be because Andrea Horwath did quite a bit better than the Liberals expected in the all candidates debate earlier this week – and that her position in the polls has risen a bit more than the Liberals are comfortable with and they need to knock her down a point or two? Just asking.

Bank president talks to Burlington business about diversity and inclusion – says it’s the smart thing to do.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON September 22, 2011 When asked how many people there were at the Burlington Economic Development Corporation’s Mayors “Connect-Collaborate-Create” luncheon Laura Geisbecht, a BEDC staffer, replied – 377 – when asked how many people the room could hold she replied 377 – and I saw two city hall employees slip in a bit later so we were over what the Fire Marshal would have approved. It was a sold out crowd – all there to hear Royal Bank president Gord Nixon talk about Diversity and why it is so important to anyone growing a business.

It was a bit of an uphill sell for the president of the most successful bank in Canada – the number of people in the room that would meet the loosest definition of “diverse” was less than ½ of 1%, – it would have amounted to 1% if the serving staff had been included. And that pretty much spells out the problem that Burlington faces – people described as culturally diverse just don’t play much of a role in business in Burlington. Never have – but if this city is to succeed economically – that is going to have to change and Nixon was here to tell the business elite how and why the Royal Bank chose to embrace diversity right across the board.

He said it was certainly the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do and it is at the smart level that Nixon drilled down into the data.

The Mayor thanked the major sponsors: Burlington Hydro, which the city owns, the Burlington Performing Arts Centre – the city is their landlord and provides a decent subsidy for that organization. Having them as sponsors for this event amounts to moving money from your left pocket to your right pocket – gives a whole new meaning to keeping it all in the family doesn’t it?

The Mayor commented that Burlington was not as directly affected by the downturn in the economy as other Southwestern Ontario municipalities. “This resilience” he said, “is evident in the creation of 425 new jobs in the first half of this year. This job creation is a result of 38 new and 15 existing businesses adding staff to their payroll.

The Mayor added that the city’s Strategic Plan that is now out in the community for consultation and feedback has identified prosperity as an objective and intends to focus on attracting and growing a knowledge-based economy that provides a future for all, and is a community of choice for both employers and family.

The Mayor shared a new program, centered on knowledge-based activities that several of our community partners including – BEDC, Burlington Chamber of Commerce, DeGroote School of Business, and The Centre for Skills Development & Training – are developing in conjunction with his office. The Graduate Internship Program, to be launched in early 2012, will utilize and pool our talented local graduates to work with companies to identify projects and initiatives that will advance their business innovation and growth strategies. Updates will be made as the program develops.

Gord Nixon, President Royal Bank of Canada - driven to make the bank diverse and inclusive.

Gord Nixon president of the Royal Bank set the context for his remarks on Diversity and Inclusion by explaining that RBC has approximately 18 million clients and 77,000 employees in over 50 countries. The Canadian workforce is approximately 55,000 people.

We have been in business for a long time, and over the past couple of decades our business mix has diversified significantly and this strategy of diversified businesses is one of our competitive advantages.

The event was part of the Mayor’s Connect, Collaborate, Create which Nixon pointed out what Diversity and Inclusion are all about

Nixon added he is a firm believer in the power of cities to be engines of economic growth in this country. “Research has shown that there is not one homogenous “national” or “global” economy as we often think of it – but rather a common market of local economies, including urban economies – and that strengthening these local economies is what will drive the overall economic success of our country.

He continued: “But, the process of economic development is not simple. It’s complex and multi-dimensional, and highly dependent on innovative thinkers. It requires individuals who care not only about what this region is today but what it could be tomorrow. It requires long-term vision and planning and it needs leaders from all areas of the community — business, labour, academia, social services, NGO’s and government — leaders who live here, work here and build their businesses here, and people who can actively participate in formulating a shared vision. It requires a multi-stakeholder approach like the one you have adopted here in Burlington.”

Nixon pointed out that “one in six Canadians live in this vast region around Toronto and it is our country’s most important and our flagship in so many areas – and Burlington is an important part of that success. This region – and Burlington — is also a model of diversity, inclusion and integration. This has been an unparalleled success in our region. It has brought vitality, culture and economic growth and RBC has benefited from all of that.”

Diversity is part of Burlington's social scene - do we ssee inclusivity in the work force, in senior management positions?

“Diversity and inclusion is something we want to get right. I say this from my perspective as CEO of RBC, certainly, but also from the perspective of a resident of southern Ontario, a community member, a taxpayer and a participant in many of the cultural and charitable activities that take place in this region.”

Nixon went on: “And so while my interests and experiences extend right across the social, economic and political fabric of this region, today I’d like to talk about why diversity matters, its central role in driving productivity, innovation and growth, and how embedding diversity in what we do at RBC is helping us achieve our potential as a company, with our clients and in our communities. And how it is helping our employees achieve their full career potential.”

“I am often asked” said Nixon, “ Why does diversity matter to business and to RBC? Simply put, it makes good business sense. It’s the smart thing to do.

“Why do I say that? First, talent comes in both genders and from diverse backgrounds. Attracting, developing and retaining the best talent is essential to the success of any business.

“Reflecting the clients we serve is also a business imperative. Let me start with newcomers. As you know, the demographics in this country are changing and Statistics Canada projects more change will come.

“Our diverse population is both a unique strength for this region and a critical component of our economic success. The growth in visible minorities and new immigrants is dramatic; especially in our large cities. For the greater Toronto region, visible minorities are projected to be 63% by the year 2031. With baby boomers retiring, our workforce is shrinking. Immigration can offset this, but our success depends on attracting skilled immigrants and ensuring they find work that utilizes their expertise, education and experience. We know it’s the right thing to do, but we’re also clear on the business potential.”

Nixon went on to point out that “some newly released numbers are troubling when it comes to relying on immigration to fuel growth. While our region is the number one destination for immigrants settling in Canada, we have seen a 17% (17,000 people) decrease in the number of immigrants it receives over the last decade due to increased attractiveness of other Canadian regions.”

“We surpass most city regions in integrating large numbers of newcomers, but there remain significant opportunities to help immigrants realize their full potential as a key competitive advantage for the region.”

“Immigrants consistently face both higher unemployment and a greater incidence of underemployment than people Canadian born. Immigrants with a university degree have twice the unemployment rate and earn 40% less than Canadian-born people with a university degree. And, the situation is worsening – more recent cohorts of immigrants are falling further behind.

For a country that prides itself on its diversity, fairness, and our open door policy, this is a surprise. For a country whose demographics promises worker shortages in the decades ahead, this doesn’t make sense. Diversity is one of our competitive advantages.”

“A large portion of the region’s immigrants” Nixon pointed out “come from rapidly developing emerging markets. As more of the world’s economic growth shifts to those markets, immigrants will increasingly be an important asset that differentiates our region from global competitors.

Newcomers enrich our region’s human capital with their international experience, diverse language skills, access to international networks and understanding of global markets. Many developed economies are competing for the same immigrant talent and being a recognized leader in diversity and inclusion can help us better compete. Studies have shown that Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are among the most attractive places for employers precisely because of our multilingual workforces, our commitment to equal opportunity and high literacy.”

“For business leaders in this region”, said Nixon, “ this is an important means to succeed and contribute to Canada’s future as a player on the global stage. If you aren’t convinced, let me share a few more numbers with you. In 2005, RBC Economics found that if all new Canadians were fully employed at their level of education and experience, earning equal pay to someone born in Canada, personal income would increase by $13 billion a year. We are leaving economic growth – never mind fuller lives and stronger communities – on the table.”

“Like the underemployment of new immigrants” said Nixon,” the paucity of senior women is troubling. It can prevent younger women from entering certain professions or finding role models. A lack of diversity can also impact overall employee engagement, productivity and innovation. It has been shown that companies with more women senior managers typically have higher total returns than those with fewer women. Again, we are leaving economic growth on the table – never mind demonstrating a real commitment to the principles of equity and fairness in the workplace.

“Speaking as a business leader, I know that achieving gender equity is key to the success of our company and our country. Canada cannot succeed in an increasingly global and knowledge-based economy without the full and active participation of women. Fifty percent of Canadians are women – they obtain the majority of university degrees and influence over 80% of purchasing decisions. Women also own or manage over 40% of all businesses in Canada. We simply cannot afford to waste this human resource.”

“Over 60% of our 77,000 employees globally are women”, said Nixon. “ It is abundantly clear to me that it is in our best interest – you could call it “enlightened self-interest” – to create the conditions where women can excel. This is why we say it is the smart thing to do.”

“At RBC, this means fostering our corporate values of respect and integrity. This means creating a world where everyone is respected for who they are and what they bring to the table. It is a fundamental tenet of a civil and just society. A place where every woman and man can achieve their full potential. That’s why we also say it’s the right thing to do. At RBC, we support this objective by implementing workplace programs that enable women to build their confidence, to develop their skills and talents, and to realize their dreams.”

“Over the last 30 years or so”, said Nixon, “RBC has focused on enabling women to achieve leadership roles. Our first woman vice president was appointed in 1979. Not a particularly great statistic. We were already a 110-year-old company at the time. However, today about 38% of our executives in Canada are women, 54% of managers and professionals are women, something we are proud of, but not complacent about. The work must continue. Women bring unique and valuable perspectives to our social fabric and tangible bottom line results to our businesses. Our society needs their contributions and the success of women is one of our country’s greatest strengths.”

I believe that corporations must see diversity as not just an add-on or a business opportunity, but a path to excellence, that embedding inclusion in your culture will help you get the most out of the mix and that the benefits will flow when you get it right.

At RBC, we have learned that when diversity and inclusion are part of decision-making, we are better positioned to connect with our customers and provide more meaningful products and services, driving customer loyalty and an enhanced bottom line in return. Meanwhile, ensuring that each and every promising employee has an opportunity to contribute can pay off exponentially by driving innovation and growth; strengthening our workforce and enhancing our profile with potential recruits—not to mention inspiring other employees to give their best.

Diversity will increasingly be a key driver of economic growth in the future. It is both the right thing and the smart thing to do and something that we at RBC are passionate about.

IKEA to move from Aldershot to Walkers Line. Councillor Craven considering grief counseling.

By Pepper Parr

On the move. Watch for the moving sale.

BURLINGTON, ON March 4, 2011 – It is going to be the sale of the century when Ikea prepares to move from its current location on Plains Road in Aldershot country to a new location on the North Service Road just west of Walker’s Line on a 25 acre parcel of land.

The hope is to have shovels in the ground in by the end of the year and hold the opening sometime in 2013. Before the Pier opens?

Ikea has outgrown its current location and has submitted an application to the city along with plans that will see a new retail store, warehouse and the Canadian corporate heads office at the new site which is currently an empty field.

The new set up will be 70% bigger than the old one which hopefully means a larger cafeteria and less wait for great value meals.

On the upside from an economic perspective is the 437 jobs that will be retained plus 108 new jobs. The move will preserve the corporate headquarters in Burlington and give IKEA great QEW visibility. So don’t expect much in the way of opposition from either the planning department or council when the application to change the zoning and make a change to the Official Plan.

The Burlington location is one of five IKEA stores in Ontario and, according to Tourism Burlington, the store is the #1 tourist attraction in Halton. I find that kind of hard to believe – but if you count shopping as a tourist attraction they might be right.

The new location is going to be massive: 428,500 square feet. The development is estimated to come in at $60 million.

The existing IKEA store is in Ward 1 where Rick Craven rules the roost. He said: “It is with mixed feelings that I must advise you that IKEA has submitted a development application to the City which would result in the store’s relocation from Aldershot to a site in east Burlington, at 3455 North Service Road. Been a tough period of time for Craven. He wasn’t able to get the Tiger Cats into Aldershot and now he’s losing his biggest retail operation. Craven assures the city that the IKEA location is an excellent place to do business and he is hoping that the Burlington Economic Development Corporation(BEDC) will find a rabbit in a hat somewhere and recruit a new store or office to the Aldershot site.

The new location will not tie IKEA all that tightly to any one community which is unfortunate because they have been good corporate citizens and contributed significantly to the welfare of the Aldershot community. Their moving will not be a shot in the arm to the Aldershot BIA.

What is now an empty field on North Service Road just west of Walkers Line is to be the new home for a $60 million 428,500 sq ft IKEA facility to open in 2013

IKEA hopes to have started construction by the end of this year and open the new facility in 2013. Gosh – IKEA will be open and operational – think we can have the Pier open the same week.

The bureaucrats said their usual. Mark Gregory Chair of the BEDC opined that “The expansion of IKEA at this Burlington site is vitally important to our city’s economy. We urge City Council and staff to give serious consideration to their proposal and assure IKEA’s future in our community”. Gregory went on to say” IKEA is one of Burlington’s top employers. It has a major impact on our local economy. In addition, their presence in the city anchors the civic efforts to promote the city as a competitive head-office location with attractive amenities including ‘big city’ retailers such as IKEA.”

Kyle Benham, Executive Director of the BEDC pointed out that IKEA creates the type of jobs that are “a great fit with the growth objectives contained in our economic development strategy.” Benham is also thanking his lucky stars that IKEA didn’t look elsewhere for a new location. They would have been a great catch for any number of communities along the 401 or the QEW.

Make a note on your calendar – sometime in 2013 – great sale at IKEA – but don’t wait till then to shop.

[retweet]

Foundation now manages $10.7 million; provides grants to 53 local organizations

By Staff

July 20th, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

How many association annual reports have you read? I mean read completely?

Pretty boring – but the things have to get put together voted on and filed.

The Burlington Foundation, which you once knew as the Burlington Community Foundation – quite why they took the word community out of their corporate name is beyond us – everything they do is community based.

The new name has an attractive corporate logo – what is really interesting is the way they set out the data points on what they have done in their annual report.

Imaginative, very visual and you know in an instant what they have done.

The work of the Foundation is broken out as funds they manage and funds they pass along to the community.
There are families in the community that have donated large sums that they want to see invested and the proceeds of the investments distributed to community groups. There are now a total of 79 funds. Most of the people who create an endowment do so in the name of a family member.

The funds are professionally managed and overseen by a Foundation Board committee.

What they do with the funds they raise.

A new endowment fund was created that will focus on Mental Wellness. It was started with a $100,000 opening gift from Dan Noonan of Argosy Securities.

Vital Signs is the wide-ranging and in-depth report on the community and the challenges it faces now, and in the years ahead.

It is an important reference tool that focuses on the most critical areas that define the community. Built upon independent research, it is used by people, agencies and corporations to understand areas of opportunity across our city.

The comprehensive quantitative and qualitative research that goes into ongoing Vital Signs research plays a key role in enabling the Foundation to focus on granting programs that meet some of the areas of need that were uncovered.

Premier backtracks very quickly on fund raising practices - she wants to get in front of the parade and not get trampled by a herd of protest.

By Staff

April 12, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

The Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne released the following statement earlier today.

I have just had a meeting with the Leader of the Green Party of Ontario to discuss election financing reform. I want to thank Mr. Schreiner for a very positive meeting to discuss these much-needed changes. He provided input, advice and feedback on the areas for reform and on the questions I asked of him — the same questions I asked the Leaders of the Official Opposition and NDP yesterday. There was much agreement between me and Mr. Schreiner on the areas for reform.

Wynne RibFest-Rotary-guy-+-Premier-595x1024

GypTech president of Gary xxxx escorts Premier Wynne during a RibFest in Burlington.

Mr. Schreiner made some specific requests that I would like to respond to directly. He said he wants to make sure the legislative committee process to consider election financial reform is open, has time to hear from witnesses across the province on the draft legislation, and allows for a full consideration of the draft legislation after both First and Second Reading.

As I said yesterday, I intend to bring forward legislation in May before the Legislature rises on June 9. With the agreement of the Legislature, we would send that legislation to Standing Committee sooner than usual, after First Reading to allow for a first opportunity to make amendments based on public input, before Second Reading. In addition, further legislative committee hearings after Second Reading will allow for another round of input and amendments.

This would allow for consultation immediately, while the Legislature is still sitting, and for further consultation during the summer, across Ontario, in agreed-upon locations. The first government witness invited to appear before the legislative committee hearings would be Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer. In the meantime, as the legislation is being drafted, we will consult regularly with the Chief Electoral Officer.

The second government witness invited to appear before the legislative committee hearings would be Mr. Schreiner.

Was it the smile that drew these two together? Does he have influence?

In an open letter prior to today’s meeting, Mr. Schreiner asked that “big money” be taken out of politics, and asked the government to bring in comprehensive reforms that include eliminating corporate and union donations prior to the next Ontario general election. The legislation we will introduce this spring will propose a ban on corporate and union donations and I am committed that changes be in place or significantly underway before the June 2018 election.

He has also asked that the government end the practice of “selling access to Ministers of the Crown.” As I said yesterday, political donations do not buy policy decisions. Any suggestion otherwise is completely false. As Premier, I’ve always been clear that decisions made by me and my Cabinet are always made with the best interests of Ontarians in mind.

Ministers need to fundraise, just as all MPPs do, to support their work during campaigns. Ministers can do small group high-value fundraisers with two stipulations:

1. The event is publicly disclosed before it occurs.

2. The Minister is not meeting/fundraising with stakeholders of his/her ministry.

I have made the decision to immediately cancel upcoming private fundraisers that I or Ministers attend.

Future Liberal fundraisers will be made public on the OLP website.

Wynne Kathleen - looking guilty gas plant hearing

Premier Wynne can be very convincing.

To recap, our government has already undertaken a number of initiatives to make election financing more transparent. In 2007, we introduced third-party advertising rules and real-time disclosure for political donations. Last June, I announced that we would make further changes to the Elections Act. And, as I announced last week, our government plans to introduce legislation on political donations this spring, including measures to transition away from union and corporate donations.
The legislation we will bring forward this spring will include the following:

First — reform of third-party advertising rules, including definitions, anti-collusion measures and penalties. Maximum spending limits on third-party advertising will be severely constrained for election periods and constraints considered for pre-election periods.
Second — a ban on corporate and union donations.

Third — reduction of maximum allowable donations to a figure that is in the range of what is permitted federally for each Party; to all associations, nomination contestants and candidates, as well as leadership campaigns.

Fourth — constraints on loans/loan guarantees to parties and candidates, including leadership candidates

Fifth — reform of by-election donation rules.

Sixth — overall reduction in spending limits by central parties in election periods and introduction of limits between elections.

And seventh — introduction of leadership and nomination campaign spending limits and donation rules.

To reach critical decision points associated with these issues. I have asked the following questions of all three party Leaders.

Ribfest-Prsemier-with-ribs-and-helper1-1024x1007

Premier Wynne has been to Burlington on a number of occasions. She learned how to flip a rack of ribs pretty quickly at RibFest. She also personally recruited current MPP Eleanor McMahon to run as the Liberal candidate in the last provincial election.

• On the issue of third-party advertising, we are proposing a much lower spending limit. What should that limit be? What should the constraints on third-party advertising be between elections? Should there also be an individual contribution limit for those advertising campaigns?

• We are proposing a ban on corporate and union donations, which would begin on January 1, 2017. Should there be a transitional subsidy based on vote counts from the previous election? If so, how long should the transition period be in order to allow all parties to adjust?

• We are proposing a lower limit on donations. Should that limit be phased in over time?

• We are proposing that, during by-elections, that there be no special doubling of donations to the central party. By-election campaigns should be restricted to raising funds only to the allowable limit, both locally and centrally. What are the other Leaders’ thoughts on how we should manage any by-elections that occur before the legislation is in effect?

• We are proposing overall spending limit reductions in the writ period and setting limits between elections. We would like the Leaders’ input on this.

• We are proposing setting spending limits for leadership and nomination campaigns. What should these spending and donation limits be?
The government also intends to bring forward separate legislation this fall to amend the Elections Act, including proposals to:
• Change the fixed election date for the next general election to the spring of 2018

• Allow provisional registration of 16- and 17 year-olds

• Establish a single address authority in Ontario

• Eliminate the first blackout period for all elections, and

• Integrate, simplify and modernize a range of election processes as per the advice of the Chief Electoral Officer.

It is clear that there are flaws in the current legislation, which all parties have been operating under. The reality is that Ontario’s election financing system has not kept up with changes made federally and in some other provinces. The current system also does not meet today’s public expectations. I am determined to make changes that are right for Ontario. And I believe it is important that we now move expeditiously to make these changes.

It is important to get this right. I look forward to hearing further from all three Leaders as they consider the answers to the questions I have asked them, so that we can move quickly to bring about these needed reforms.

Ray Rivers on election funding.

The times they are a changing- the public has gotten to the point where they just plain don’t like the way the politicians climbed into bed with any special interest with a cheque book. The conflict of interest was just too blatant. The tip of that iceberg was identified by the Globe and Mail when they published a series of articles on how the politician raised the money they need to fight elections. The opposition parties didn’t make too much noise over the news reports because they too rely on corporate, union and special interest money.

But the media coverage was a little too strong to ignore – and so now the Premier has set out an aggressive set of changes that everyone is going to get a chance to have their say on. Note though that the Premier made this announcement after meeting with the Green Party – she is avoiding what the NDP and the Conservatives want to do to her neck.

Premier Wynne does deserve credit for getting in front of the parade and not getting trampled by a crowd reaction.

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New documents reveal that Andrea Horwath misled reporters and failed to disclose the true relationship between the Ontario Cornerstone Leadership Corporation and the Ontario NDP.

And she continues to duck questions on the whereabouts of $100,425 of taxpayer money and another $100,000 in union funds granted to Cornerstone for accessibility.

But that’s not the whole story. Horwath was in a position to know how her party raises money.

Documents obtained by the Liberals reveal that links between Cornerstone and the NDP are far greater than previously believed. Not only are all 8 members of the Cornerstone board current or former board members of the NDP, but the corporation is actually bankrolling the NDP’s campaign.

Land registry documents show:

• Cornerstone served as collateral for a $4,350,000 loan that is currently financing Horwath’s 2011 campaign

• Cornerstone served as collateral for a $3,450,000 loan that financed the 2007 NDP campaign

And contrary to Andrea Horwath’s claim that Cornerstone “has nothing to do” with her, new documents also reveal that Andrea Horwath sat as an ONDP Vice President when the Cornerstone fundraising scheme was hatched, and served as the 2007 NDP Campaign Co-Chair. (OntarioNDP.com)

The Cornerstone campaign’s sole goal was to purchase a property that would finance NDP election campaigns:

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